Proper Translation for a Tattoo

[rebelrose19]

Hi,

I just have a quick question. I am studying Chinese, but I am still definitely in early stages of learning (I have one semester's worth of college Chinese under my belt). For a long time, I have wanted to get a tattoo in Chinese characters but I have heard so many horror stories of people getting the wrong thing, or getting something tattooed on backwards, that I wanted to wait until I could have something that was both meaningful and grammatically correct. My current idea for a tattoo that I've been harboring is a translation saying "no matter what, no regrets, only love". To the best of my limited character/grammer knowledge and with the use of a dictionary for a few characters, I think this can be said as "不无论什么, 没有后悔, 只是爱." However I am very validly afraid that I could be totally wrong, or be missing/confused about something grammatical (like whether I need the shi in between zhi and ai), or that when translated it actually doesn't hold the same meaning in Chinese. I really don't want to get anything permanently tattooed on my skin that is wrong and I *will* have regrets if I get it and its incorrect lol. So if someone could help me out, I would really appreciate it!! Thanks!

[Kenny同志]

Don’t you think it is a little bit too long for a tattoo? Literally, the corresponding Chinese is “无论什么都不后悔，只有爱”; it’s acceptable, thought it sounds a bit odd to my ears.

If I were to say the same thing, I probably would opt for “凡事但求无悔(in whatever I am going to do, the only thing I want to make sure is that there would be no regrets)”, but this sounds not quite right; what if what I do is wrong?

You might want to consider “凡事但求无愧于心(still too long for a tattoo, IMHO)”, which means “in whatever I am going to do, the only thing I want to make sure is that I am (morally) right”.

PS:凡事但求无愧于心 is commonly used.

[gloria_lee]

hello， i'm a native speaker and i suggest you to change it to "无论如何，不后悔，只是爱。"

what you have translated was definitely wrong in grammar and also stiff.

and my translation is exact the same as your meaning, because i just put your wrong gramma right but not add into to my own idea.

i can explain more. 不无论什么 is a very weird expression in chinese and totally wrong, but 无论如何 is very common used and a little poetic(which may more suitable for a tattoo). 没有后悔 is also a little weird and considered 只是爱，不后悔 is more corresponding, cause the characters are in the same number.(in chinese, symmetry is important, especially in something like saying)

wish it helps.

[skylee]

How about just "no regret, only love" - 不後悔，只有愛. And since there is only love, why don't you just use 愛?

About the length of tattoos, take a look at this one (it is quite bad IMO, long, with mistakes/meaning that neither the owner nor viewers are sure of, and not aesthetically pleasing)

[rebelrose19]

haha yes, see that picture is exactly what I am trying to avoid by posting here before I get it done. thank you both very much for your suggestions, I do think I will go with something shorter, like "no regrets, only love" since it gets pretty complicated with the "no matter what".

[ma3zi1]

How about:

"无论死活，只要有爱"

Something like, "it doesn't matter if I'm alive or dead, so long as I have love"

I recommend traditional characters though, they're prettier ;)